Common media consumption across multiple media processing systems via single user control

ABSTRACT

A system and method for the management of common consumption of media in a media exchange network is disclosed. Various embodiments of the present invention provide for control by a first user at a first location in a media exchange network of the simultaneous consumption of media content by other users at other locations in the media exchange network. The media content consumed may comprise audio, still pictures, video, and data. The first user may consume the media content simultaneous with the consumption of the other users, and the media content may be stored at the location of the first user, or at other locations in the media exchange network.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/667,866, entitled “COMMON MEDIA CONSUMPTION ACROSS MULTIPLE MEDIAPROCESSING SYSTEMS VIA SINGLE USER CONTROL”, filed Sep. 22, 2003, whichissued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,424,534, on Sep. 9, 2008, and which makesreference to, claims priority to, and claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/448,659, entitled “Common MediaConsumption Across Multiple Media Processing Systems Via Single UserControl”, filed Feb. 18, 2003, U.S. Provisional Application Serial No.60/432,472, entitled “Personal Inter-Home Media Exchange Network”, filedDec. 11, 2002, and U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/443,894,entitled “Personal Access And Control Of Media Peripherals On A MediaExchange Network”, filed Jan. 30, 2003, the complete subject matter ofwhich are hereby incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Inaddition this application makes reference to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Serial No. 60/457,179, entitled “Server ArchitectureSupporting A Personal Media Exchange Network”, filed Mar. 25, 2003, U.S.patent application Serial No. 10/657,390, entitled “Personal Inter-HomeMedia Exchange Network”, filed Sep. 8, 2003, and U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/660,267, entitled “Personal Access And Control Of MediaPeripherals On A Media Exchange Network”, filed Sep. 11, 2003, thecomplete subject matter of which are hereby incorporated herein byreference, in their entirety. With respect to the present application,Applicant hereby rescinds any disclaimer of claim scope made in theparent application or any predecessor or related application. TheExaminer is advised that any previous disclaimer of claim scope, if any,and the alleged prior art that it was made to allegedly avoid, may needto be revisited. Nor should a disclaimer of claim scope, if any, in thepresent application be read back into any predecessor or relatedapplication.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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SEQUENCE LISTING

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MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Today, a user of a TV (television) set in his home may control theconsumption of broadcast media content and media content played by a VCRor DVD player using, for example, a remote control.

Various types of digital media content such as digital images, digitalvideo, and digital audio may be captured using a personal media devicesuch as, for example, a digital camera. A user of a media capture devicemay capture personal media content and playback at a later time on a TVset in his home. For example, a user of a camcorder may record apersonal event, such as a child's sporting event, and playback therecorded event at a later time in his home on his TV set using a VCR.Control of the TV set, VCR, and DVD player is accomplished by the userat his home where the TV set, VCR, and DVD player are located.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth inthe remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method for communicating information, substantially asshown in and/or described in connection with at least one of thefigures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the presentinvention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, willbe more fully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a mediaexchange network supporting common media consumption across multiplemedia processing systems via single user control, in accordance withvarious aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method to achieve commonmedia consumption across multiple media processing systems, on the mediaexchange network of FIG. 1, via single user control, in accordance withvarious aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a first exemplary media exchangenetwork in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of performing personal mediaexchange over a second exemplary media exchange network in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of performing third-party mediaexchange over a third exemplary media exchange network in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary illustration of a TV guide channel user interfacein accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary illustration of several instantiations of a TVguide channel user interface of FIG. 4 in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary illustration of a TV guide channel user interfaceshowing several options of a pushed media in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9A is a schematic block diagram of a media processing system (MPS)interfacing to media capture peripherals in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9B illustrates an alternative embodiment of a media processingsystem (MPS) in accordance with various aspects of the presentinvention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a PC and an MPS interfacing to aserver on a media exchange network in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a PC interfacing to personalmedia capture devices and remote media storage on a media exchangenetwork in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to the control andconsumption of media content. In particular, certain embodiments of thepresent invention relate to providing common media consumption acrossmultiple media processing systems on a media exchange network via singleuser control.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a mediaexchange network 100 supporting common media consumption across multiplemedia processing systems via single user control, in accordance withvarious aspects of the present invention. A media exchange network is acommunication network that allows for the exchange of personal mediachannels between users of the network, in accordance with variousembodiments of the present invention.

The media exchange network 100 comprises a home MPS (media processingsystem) 101 at “my house” 102, a MPS 105 at the first remote location of“brother's house” 106, a MPS 103 at the second remote location of “Mom'shouse” 104, and an Internet-based media exchange network infrastructure107 connecting together the home MPS 101, the MPS 105, and the MPS 103.

The home MPS 101 comprises a MES (media exchange software) platform 110to provide for the exchange of media content with other authorized usersof the media exchange network 100 and to provide control and access onthe media exchange network 100. The home MPS 101 also comprises a mediaguide interface 111 for manipulating and consuming media content and astorage area 120 for storing media content.

Similarly, the MPS 105 at “brother's house” 106 comprises a MES platform115, a media guide interface 117, and a storage area 116. The MPS 103 at“Mom's house” 104 comprises a similar MES platform 112, a media guideinterface 114, and a storage area 113. The “brother's house” 106 alsocomprises a stereo system 108 that is connected to the MPS 105.Similarly, “Mom's house” 104 comprises a stereo system 109 that isconnected to the MPS 103. As a result, audio content may be transferredfrom the MPS's 103 and 105 to their respective stereo systems 109 and108.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, a MPSmay comprise a set-top-box (STB), a PC, or a TV with a media managementsystem (MMS). A MMS is also known herein as a media exchange software(MES) platform.

A MMS comprises a software platform operating on at least one processorto provide certain functionality including user interface functionality,distributed storage functionality, and networking functionality. Forexample, a MMS may provide control of media peripheral devices, statusmonitoring of media peripheral devices, and inter-home MPS routingselection, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The Internet-based media exchange network infrastructure 107 maycomprise, for example, cable infrastructure, satellite networkinfrastructure, DSL infrastructure, Internet infrastructure, intranetinfrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and/or a wireless infrastructureproviding wide area network (WAN) capability.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 200 to achieve commonmedia consumption across multiple media processing systems, on the mediaexchange network 100 of FIG. 1, via single user control, in accordancewith various aspects of the present invention. In step 201, a first MPSat a first location takes control of at least a second MPS at a remotelocation on a media exchange network. In step 202, the first MPS pushesmedia content to the second MPS via the media exchange network. In step203, the first MPS commands that the pushed media content be consumed(i.e., played, viewed, etc.) at the remote location.

As an example, referring to FIG. 1, a user of the home MPS 101 at “myhouse” 102 may take control of the MPS 105 at “brother's house” 106 andthe MPS 103 at “Mom's house” 104 using a remote control associated withthe MPS 101. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,the user of the MPS 101 must have authorization to take control of theMPS 103 and the MPS 105 via the media exchange network 100.

Next, the user of the MPS 101 may command that the media content“Vacation Video” 118 be pushed over the media exchange network 100 tothe MPS 103 and the MPS 105. The “Vacation Video” media content 118 maybe stored in storage area 116 and storage area 113 after being pushed,or may appear in the media guide interfaces 114 and 117, depending onthe exact commands given by the user of the MPS 101.

Finally, the user of the MPS 101 may command that the pushed mediacontent, “Vacation Video” 118, be played on a TV screen of the MPS 103and a TV screen of the MPS 105 simultaneously. As a result, Mom andbrother may view the “Vacation Video” 118 at the same time in thecomfort of their respective homes, allowing the user of the MPS 101 tocontrol the consumption.

As another example, referring to FIG. 1, a user of the home MPS 101 at“my house” 102 may take control of the MPS 105 at “brother's house” 106and the MPS 103 at “Mom's house” 104 using a remote control associatedwith the MPS 101. In accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, the user of the MPS 101 must have authorization to takecontrol of the MPS 103 and the MPS 105 via the media exchange network100.

Next, the user of the MPS 101 may command that the media content “Joe'smusic” 119 be pushed over the media exchange network 100 to the MPS 103and the MPS 105. The “Joe's music” media content 119 may be stored instorage area 116 and storage area 113 after being pushed, or may appearin the media guide interfaces 114 and 117, depending on the exactcommands given by the user of the MPS 101.

Finally, the user of the MPS 101 may command that the pushed mediacontent, “Joe's music” 119, be played on a stereo system 109 interfacingto the MPS 103 and a stereo system 108 interfacing to the MPS 105simultaneously. As a result, Mom and brother may listen to “Joe's music”119 at the same time in the comfort of their respective homes, allowingthe user of the MPS 101 to control the consumption. As a result, theuser of the MPS 101 controls the MPS's and the stereo systems.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a user at afirst location may remotely take control of a MPS and at least one mediaperipheral (e.g., a stereo system) at a second location. The user mayalso take control of other MPS's and at least one media peripheral atother remote locations as well, provided the user is authorized to doso.

Although the illustrative examples provided above describe sharing andconsumption of audio media content, the present invention is not limitedin the forms of media content that may be commonly consumed. Variousembodiments of the present invention apply equally to other forms ofmedia content such as, for example, audio, still pictures, video, anddata. In addition, the examples above describe support for a mediaperipheral, in this case, a stereo system. An embodiment of the presentinvention may also support the use of other media peripherals as sourcesor playback devices of media content. Examples of such devices includedigital still cameras, digital video cameras and camcorders, digitalaudio recorders, personal computers and PDAs, LCD, plasma, and CRTdisplays, to name only a few.

While controlling consumption of media content at remote locations, auser at “my home” 102 may consume the same media content, other mediacontent, or no media at “my home” 102, in accordance with variousembodiments of the present invention. In addition, the media provided bya media processing system such as, for example MPS 101, 103, 105, mayreside on a server within the media exchange network, and may be locatedseparately from the MPS. In various embodiments, a user may use a mediaguide interface with a TV-guide look and feel to select such media to bedelivered and played at other MPS's and/or viewed locally, under theircontrol.

A major challenge is to be able to transfer and share many differenttypes of digital media, data, and services between one device/locationand another with ease while being able to index, manage, and store thedigital media and data.

For example, it is desirable to be able to distribute and store manytypes of digital media in a PC and/or television environment in auser-friendly manner without requiring many different types of softwareapplications and/or unique and dedicated interfaces. Any networkingissues or other technical issues should be transparent to the users. Itis also desirable to take advantage of existing hardware infrastructure,as much as possible, when providing such capability.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a media exchange network isprovided that enables many types of digital media, data, and/or servicesto be stored, indexed, viewed, searched for, pushed from one user toanother, and requested by users, using a TV channel guide look-and-feeluser interface. The media exchange network also allows a user toconstruct personal media channels that comprise his personal digitalmedia (e.g., captured digital pictures, digital video, digital audio,etc.), request that third-party media channels be constructed fromthird-party digital media, and access the media channels pushed to himby other users on the media exchange network.

PC's may be used but are not required to interface to the media exchangenetwork for the purpose of exchanging digital media, data, and services.Instead, set-top-boxes or integrated MPS's (media processing systems)may be used with the media exchange network to perform all of thepreviously described media exchange functions using a remote controlwith a television screen.

Current set-top-boxes may be software enhanced to create a MPS thatprovides full media exchange network interfacing and functionality via aTV screen with a TV guide look-and-feel. PC's may be software enhancedas well and provide the same TV guide look-and-feel. Therefore, themedia exchange network supports both PC's and MPS's in a similar manner.Alternatively, a fully integrated MPS may be designed from the groundup, having full MPS capability.

In the case of an MPS configuration, the user takes advantage of hisremote control and TV screen to use the media exchange network. In thecase of a PC configuration, the user takes advantage of his keyboardand/or mouse to use the media exchange network.

An MPS or enhanced PC is effectively a storage and distribution platformfor the exchange of personal and third party digital media, data, andservices as well as for bringing the conventional television channels toa user's home. An MPS and/or PC connects to the media exchange networkvia an existing communication infrastructure which may include cable,DSL, satellite, etc. The connection to the communication infrastructuremay be hard-wired or wireless.

The media exchange network allows users to effectively become their ownbroadcasters from their own homes by creating their own media channelsand pushing those media channels to other authorized users on the mediaexchange network, such as friends and family members.

FIG. 3 comprises a media exchange network 300 for exchanging and sharingdigital media, data, and services in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention. The media exchange network 300 is a secure,closed network environment that is only accessible to pre-defined usersand service providers. The media exchange network of FIG. 3 comprises afirst PC 301 and a first media processing system (MPS) 302 at a user'shome 303, a communication infrastructure 304, external processinghardware support 305, remote media storage 306, a second PC 307 at aremote location 308 such as an office, and a second MPS 309 at aparent's home 310.

The PC's 301 and 307 and the MPS's 302 and 309 each include a mediaexchange software (MES) platform 311 and a networking component 312 forconnectivity. The MES platform 311 provides multiple capabilitiesincluding media “push” capability, media “access” capability, mediachannel construction/selection, image sequence selection, text and voiceoverlay, channel and program naming, inter-home routing selection,authorship and media rights management, shared inter-home mediaexperience, billing service, and an integrated TV channel guidelook-and-feel.

The external processing hardware support 305 comprises at least oneserver such as a centralized internet server, a peer-to-peer server, orcable head end. The server may alternatively be distributed over varioushosts or remote PC's. The MES platform 311 may also reside on theexternal processing hardware support server 305. The remote mediastorage 306 may comprise user media storage and distribution systems 313and/or third party media storage and distribution systems 314.

The communication infrastructure 304 may comprise at least one ofinternet infrastructure, satellite infrastructure, cable infrastructure,dial-up infrastructure, cellular infrastructure, xDSL infrastructure,optical infrastructure, or some other infrastructure. The communicationinfrastructure 304 links the user's home 303, parent's home 310, remotemedia storage 306, and remote location office 308 to each other (i.e.,the communication infrastructure 304 links all users and serviceproviders of the media exchange network 300).

The various functions 315 of the media exchange network 300 comprisegenerating personal network associations, personal storage management,media capture device support, security/authentication/authorizationsupport, authorship tracking and billing and address registration andmaintenance. These media exchange management functions 315 may bedistributed over various parts of the media exchange network 300. Forexample, the personal network associations and personal storagemanagement functions may be integrated in the PC 301 at the user's home303.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of personal media exchange over a mediaexchange network 400 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. In step 1, the media exchange software (MES) platform 401 isused to construct personal media channels on a PC 402 by a user at “myhouse” 403. For example, with various media stored on the PC 402 such asdigital pictures 404, videos 405, and music 406, the MES platform 401allows the digital media to be organized by a user into several channelshaving a TV channel guide look-and-feel user interface 407 on the PC402.

In step 2, the user at “my house” 403 pushes a media channel 408 (e.g.,“Joe's Music”) to “brother's house” 409 and pushes two media channels410 and 411 (e.g., “Vacation Video” and “Kid's Pictures”) to “Mom'shouse” 412 via a peer-to-peer server 413 over the internet-based mediaexchange network 400. “Brother's house” 409 includes a first MPS 414connected to the media exchange network 400. “Mom's house” 412 includesa second MPS 415 connected to the media exchange network 400. The MPS's414 and 415 also provide a TV channel guide look-and-feel user interface407.

In step 3, brother and/or Mom access the pushed media channels via theirrespective media processing systems (MPS's) 414 and 415 using theirrespective MPS TV screens and remote controls.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of third-party media exchange over a mediaexchange network 500 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. In step 1, a PC-initiated third-party request is made by afirst party 501 via an internet-based media exchange network 500 using aTV channel guide look-and-feel user interface 502 on a PC 503. In step2, an anonymous delivery of the requested third-party channel 504 ismade to a second party 505 via the internet-based media exchange network500. In step 3, the second party 505 accesses the third-party channel504 using a TV channel guide look-and-feel user interface 506 on a TVscreen 507 that is integrated into an MPS 508.

Similarly, in step A, an MPS-initiated third-party request is made by asecond party 505 via an internet-based media exchange network 500 usinga TV channel guide look-and-feel user interface 506 on a TV screen 507using a remote control 509. The second party 505 may key in a code,using his remote control 509, that is correlated to a commercial or someother third party broadcast media. In step B, an anonymous delivery ofthe requested third-party channel 504 is made to a first party 501 viathe internet-based media exchange network 500. In step C, the firstparty 501 accesses the third-party channel 504 using a TV channel guidelook-and-feel user interface 502 on a PC 503.

FIG. 6 illustrates a TV channel guide user interface 600 in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. The TV channel guide userinterface 600 may be displayed on a TV screen 608 and controlled by aremote control device 609. Also, the TV channel guide user interface 600may be displayed on a PC monitor and controlled by a keyboard or mouse.

The TV channel guide user interface 600 may be configured not only forconventional TV channels but also for personal media channels 601 thatare constructed by a user of a media exchange network, friend's andfamily's media channels 602 constructed by friends and family, and thirdparty channels 603 that are constructed by third parties either uponrequest by a user of a media exchange network or based on a profile of auser.

The personal media channels 601 may include, for example, a “familyvacations channel”, a “kid's sports channel”, a “my life channel”, a“son's life channel”, a “my music channel”, and a “kid's music channel”.The friends and family media channels 602 may include, for example, a“brother's channel”, a “Mom's channel”, and a “friend's channel”. Thethird party media channels 603 may include, for example, a “Sears Fallsale channel” and a “car commercials channel”.

Each media channel may correspond to a schedule 604 showing, forexample, a week 605 and a year 606. For example, under the “kid's sportschannel”, Ty's soccer game could be scheduled to be viewed on Tuesday ofthe current week 605 and current year 606. For each media channel, asub-menu 607 allows for selection of certain control and accessfunctions such as “play”, “send to list”, “send to archive”, “confirmreceipt”, “view”, “purchase”, and “profile”.

FIG. 7 illustrates possible multiple instantiations of a TV channelguide user interface 700 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The TV channel guide user interface 700 may be viewed with aschedule having formats of, for example, “month, year”, “week#, year”,“day, week#”, or “hour, day”.

Referring to FIG. 8, a user of a media exchange network may push a mediachannel (e.g., “Vacation in Alaska Video”) to a friend who is on thesame media exchange network. The TV channel guide user interface 800 maygive the friend several options 801 for how to accept and download thepushed media in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

For example, a first, most expensive option 803 may be “ExpressDelivery” which would deliver the pushed media to the friend in 18minutes using queuing and cost $1.20, for example. The pushed media maybe stored in a file in an MPEG 2 format that was recorded at a rate of 4Mbps, for example. Queuing comprises buffering and delivering a previouspart of the media and then buffering and delivering a next part of themedia. For example, a first six minutes of the “Vacation in AlaskaVideo” may be buffered and delivered first, then a second six minutesmay be buffered and delivered next, and so on until the entire media isdelivered.

A second, less expensive option 802 may be “Normal Delivery” which woulddeliver the pushed media in 2 hours and 13 minutes without queuing andcost $0.59, for example. The pushed media may be stored in a file in anMPEG 2 format that was recorded at a rate of 1.5 Mbps, for example.

A third, least expensive option 804 may be “Overnight Delivery” whichwould deliver the pushed media by the next morning and cost only $0.05,for example. The pushed media may be stored in a file in an MPEG 2format that was recorded at a rate of 19 Mbps and stored on a server,for example.

FIG. 9A illustrates the detailed elements of a media processing system(MPS) 900 and media capture devices 901 in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. The media capture devices 901 may compriseaudio, video, and image players, such as digital cameras, digitalcamcorders, and MP3 players, that each include a temporary storage areaand a communication interface 903 such as, for example, a USB interfaceor a wireless interface. The media capture devices 901 have thecapability to interface to an MPS and a PC.

The MPS 900 comprises a media processing unit (MPU) 904, remote userinterface(s) 905, and a TV screen 918 to provide integrated mediaprocessing capability and indirect user interface capability. The remoteuser interfaces 905 may comprise a voice or keyed remote control 906,keyboards and pads 907, a remote PC access interface 908, and a remotemedia system access interface 909 (i.e., providing access from anotherMPS).

The media processing unit (MPU) 904 comprises TV and radio tuners 910for image and audio consumption, communications interfaces 911, channelprocessing 912 (creating, storing, indexing, viewing), storage 913,media players 914 (CD, DVD, Tape, PVR, MP3), an integrated userinterface 915 (to provide a TV channel guide look-and-feel), networkingcomponents 916 to provide client functions such as consumption(billing), authorization (e.g., using digital certificates and digitalID's), registration, security, and connectivity. In an alternativeembodiment of the present invention, the networking components 916 mayinclude a distributed server element 917 that is part of a distributedserver.

FIG. 9B illustrates an alternative embodiment of a media processingsystem (MPS) 920 in accordance with various aspects of the presentinvention. The MPS 920 is essentially an enhanced set-top-box forviewing and interacting with various user interfaces, media, data, andservices that are available on the media exchange network using, forexample, a remote control. The MPS 920 comprises a media peripheral 921,a MMS (media management system) 922, and a broadband communicationinterface 923.

The media peripheral 921 may include a TV (television), a PC (personalcomputer), and media players (e.g., a CD player, a DVD player, a tapeplayer, and a MP3 player) for video, image, and audio consumption ofbroadcast and/or personal channels. The broadband communicationinterface 923 may include internal modems (e.g., a cable modem or DSLmodem) or other interface devices in order to communicate with, forexample, a cable or satellite head end.

The MMS 922 includes a software platform to provide functionalityincluding media “push” capability, media “access” capability, mediachannel construction/selection, image sequence selection, text and voiceoverlay, channel and program naming, inter-home routing selection,authorship and media rights management, shared inter-home mediaexperience, billing service, and a media guide user interface providingan integrated TV channel guide look-and-feel.

FIG. 10 illustrates connectivity between a PC 1000, an MPS 1001, andexternal processing hardware 1002 (e.g., a server) in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The PC 1000 and MPS 1001 includenetworking components 1003 to provide client functions such asconsumption (billing), authorization, registration, security, andconnectivity. Alternatively, the PC 1000 and MPS 1001 may include adistributed server element 1004 that is part of a distributed server.

The PC 1000 and MPS 1001 connect to the external processing hardware1002 via wired or wireless connections. The external processing hardware1002 comprises a distributed server or peer-to-peer server. The externalprocessing hardware 1002 also comprises communication interfaces 1005(e.g., cable interfaces, optical interfaces, etc.) and a media exchangesoftware (MES) platform 1006. The MES platform 1006 in the externalprocessing hardware 1002 allows for communication with the PC 1000 andMPS 1001 which may also use the same MES platform 1006. The externalprocessing hardware 1002 also includes networking server components 1007to provide the similar client functions such as consumption (billing),authorization, registration, security, and connectivity at the serverside.

FIG. 11 illustrates connectivity between a PC 1100, remote media storage1101, and personal media capture devices 1102 when the PC 1100 is usedas the primary distributor of digital media such as in the case ofPC-to-PC operation, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The personal media capture devices 1102 and remote mediastorage 1101 connect to the PC 1100 via a wireless or wired connection.The remote media storage 1101 provides user media storage anddistribution 1103 as well as third party media storage and distribution1104. The personal media capture devices 1102 provide temporary storage1114 and communication interfaces 1115.

Viewing is done using a PC monitor 1105 instead of a television screen.The PC 1100 may include storage 1106, TV/radio tuners 1107 for mediaconsumption, media players 1108, and communication interfaces 1109 anduser interfaces 1110 similar to those for the MPS of FIG. 9. The PC 1100includes a media exchange software (MES) platform 1111 that provideschannel construction capability 1112 and networking capability 1113. Thechannel construction capability 1112 allows third party and personalmedia access, sequencing, editing, media overlays and inserts, billing,scheduling, and addressing.

In summary, a system and method provide common media consumption acrossmultiple media processing systems on a media exchange network via singleuser control.

Aspects of the present invention may be seen in a system supportingcommon consumption of media. Such a system may comprise a firsttelevision display at a first home, a first storage in the first home, asecond television display at a second home, and a second storage in thesecond home. The first storage may support consumption of the media bythe first television display, and may have an associated first networkprotocol address. Similarly, the second storage may support consumptionof the media by the second television display, and may have anassociated second network protocol address. The system may also comprisea communication network, and server software that receives a requestidentifying one of the associated first and second network protocoladdresses and responds by identifying the other of the associated firstand second network protocol addresses. The system may support deliveryvia the communication network of the media from the first storage to thesecond home for simultaneous consumption by the first and secondtelevision displays under control of a user at the first home.

The media in an embodiment of the present invention may comprise atleast one of audio, still pictures, video, and data, and the media maycomprise real-time video. The first and second network protocoladdresses may be one of an Internet protocol (IP) address, a mediaaccess control (MAC) address, and an electronic serial number (ESN). Thecommunication network may comprise at least one of a cableinfrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriberline (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranetinfrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and a wireless infrastructure.The communication network may be the Internet. In an embodiment of thepresent invention, consumption may comprise at least one of playingaudio, displaying a still image, displaying video, and displaying data.

Other aspects of the present invention may be found in a systemsupporting common consumption of media. A system in accordance with thepresent invention may comprise a first storage in a first home thatstores the media, a second television display at a second home, and athird television display at a third home. The first storage may have anassociated first network protocol address, the second television displaymay have an associated second protocol address, and the third televisiondisplay may have an associated third protocol address.

An embodiment of the present invention may also comprise set top boxcircuitry, in the first home, communicatively coupled to deliver themedia from the first storage, to the second and third televisiondisplays. It may also comprise a communication network. Such anembodiment may further comprise server software that receives a requestidentifying the associated first network protocol address and respondsby identifying the associated second and third network protocoladdresses. An embodiment of the present invention may support deliveryvia the communication network of the media from the first storage to thesecond and third television displays for concurrent consumption undercontrol of a user at the first home.

The media in an embodiment of the present invention may comprise atleast one of audio, still pictures, video, and data, and the media maycomprise real-time video. At least one of the first, second, and thirdprotocol addresses may comprise an Internet protocol (IP) address, amedia access control (MAC) address, and an electronic serial number(ESN). The communication network may comprise at least one of a cableinfrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriberline (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranetinfrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and a wireless infrastructure.In various embodiments of the present invention, the communicationnetwork may be the Internet.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the consumption may compriseat least one of playing audio, displaying a still image, displayingvideo, and displaying data. An embodiment of the present invention mayfurther comprise a first television display at the first home, and theuser at the first home may simultaneously consume the media using thefirst television display.

Additional aspects of the present invention may be observed in a systemsupporting common consumption of media. Various embodiments inaccordance with the present invention may comprise a first televisiondisplay at a first home, a first storage in a first home that stores themedia, a second television display at a second home, set top boxcircuitry in the first home, and a communication network. The set topbox circuitry may be communicatively coupled to deliver the media fromthe first storage to the second television display. An embodiment mayfurther comprise server software that coordinates delivery via thecommunication network of the media from the first storage to the secondtelevision display for simultaneous consumption of the media at thefirst and second television displays under control of a user at thefirst home.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the media may comprise atleast one of audio, still pictures, video, real-time video, and data. Inaddition, the communication network may comprise at least one of a cableinfrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriberline (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranetinfrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and a wireless infrastructure.The communication network may be the Internet.

In an embodiment in accordance with the present invention, consumptionmay comprise at least one of playing audio, displaying a still image,displaying video, and displaying data. In addition, the system maycomprise a media peripheral at the second home, and the user at thefirst home may have control of at least one function of the mediaperipheral at the second home. A media peripheral in an embodiment ofthe present invention may comprise at least one of a stereo system, adigital still camera, a digital video camera, a digital camcorder, adigital audio recorder, a personal computer, a PDA, a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), a plasma display, and a CRT display. In anotherembodiment of the present invention, the system may comprise a serverfor storing 3^(rd) party media, the server software supporting deliveryof the 3^(rd) party media to at least one of the first and secondtelevision displays.

While the invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to theparticular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include allembodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

1. One or more circuits for a system supporting common consumption ofmedia, said one or more circuits comprising: at least one processoroperably coupled to a first display device supporting display oftelevision content in a first home and to a first storage in the firsthome; the first storage supporting consumption of the media by the firstdisplay device and having a first network protocol address with respectto a first user in the first home, the at least one processorcommunicatively coupled to a second home that is separate and distinctfrom the first home, the second home having a second display devicesupporting display of television content and a second storage supportingconsumption of the media by the second display device in the secondhome, and having a second network protocol address with respect to asecond user in the second home, wherein the second user is known to thefirst user, the at least one processor operable to, at least: display auser interface on the first display device in the first home, the userinterface having at least one view comprising a representation of mediaavailable for consumption, the user interface supporting the selectionand scheduling of media for delivery to the second home; and communicatewith server software that maintains a user defined association of thefirst and second network protocol addresses and that receives a requestthat identifies one of the associated first and second network addressesand responds by identifying the other of the associated first and secondnetwork addresses to support delivery via a communication network of themedia from the first storage to the second home for simultaneousconsumption by the first and second display devices under control of auser at the first home.
 2. The one or more circuits of claim 1 whereinthe media comprises one or more of audio, still pictures, video, and/ordata.
 3. The one or more circuits of claim 1 wherein the media comprisesreal-time video.
 4. The one or more circuits of claim 1 wherein thefirst and second network protocol addresses are one of an Internetprotocol (IP) address, a media access control (MAC) address, or anelectronic serial number (ESN).
 5. The one or more circuits of claim 1wherein the communication network comprises one or more of a cableinfrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriberline (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranetinfrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and/or a wirelessinfrastructure.
 6. The one or more circuits of claim 1 wherein thecommunication network is the Internet.
 7. The one or more circuits ofclaim 1 wherein consumption comprises one or more of playing audio,displaying a still image, displaying video, and/or displaying data. 8.One or more circuits for a system supporting common consumption ofmedia, said one or more circuits comprising: at least one processoroperably coupled to a first display device supporting display oftelevision content in a first home and to a first storage in the firsthome having a first network protocol address with respect to a firstuser in the first home, the at least one processor communicativelycoupled to a second display device supporting display of televisioncontent at a second home and a third display device supporting displayof television content at a third home, where the second and third homesare separate and distinct from the first home and from each other, wherethe second home has a second network protocol address with respect to asecond user in the second home and the third home has a third networkprotocol address with respect to a third user in the third home, andwherein the second and third users are known to the first user, the atleast one processor operable to, at least: display a user interface onthe first display device in the first home, the user interface having atleast one view comprising a representation of media available forconsumption, the user interface supporting the selection and schedulingof media for delivery to the second and third homes; and communicatewith server software that maintains a user defined association of thefirst, second, and third network protocol addresses and that receives arequest that identifies the associated first network protocol addressand responds by identifying the associated second and third networkprotocol addresses to support delivery via a communication network ofthe media from the first storage to the second and third display devicesfor concurrent consumption under control of a user at the first home. 9.The one or more circuits of claim 8 wherein the media comprises one ormore of audio, still pictures, video, and/or data.
 10. The one or morecircuits of claim 8 wherein the media comprises real-time video.
 11. Theone or more circuits of claim 8 wherein one or more of the first,second, and/or third network protocol addresses comprise an Internetprotocol (IP) address, a media access control (MAC) address, and anelectronic serial number (ESN).
 12. The one or more circuits of claim 8wherein the communication network comprises one or more of a cableinfrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriberline (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranetinfrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and/or a wirelessinfrastructure.
 13. The one or more circuits of claim 8 wherein thecommunication network is the Internet.
 14. The one or more circuits ofclaim 8 wherein consumption comprises one or more of playing audio,displaying a still image, displaying video, and/or displaying data. 15.The one or more circuits of claim 8 wherein the user at the first homesimultaneously consumes the media using the first display device. 16.One or more circuits for a system supporting common consumption ofmedia, said one or more circuits comprising: at least one processoroperably coupled to a first display device supporting display oftelevision content in a first home and to a first storage in the firsthome that stores the media, the at least one processor communicativelycoupled to the first storage and to a second display device supportingdisplay of television content at a second home that is separate anddistinct from the first home, the at least one processor operable to, atleast: display a user interface on the first display device in the firsthome, the user interface having at least one view comprising arepresentation of media available for consumption, the user interfacesupporting the selection and scheduling of media for delivery to thesecond home; and communicate with server software that coordinatesdelivery via the communication network of the media from the firststorage to the second display device for simultaneous consumption of themedia at the first and second display devices under control of a user atthe first home.
 17. The one or more circuits of claim 16 wherein themedia comprises one or more of audio, still pictures, video, real-timevideo, and/or data.
 18. The one or more circuits of claim 16 wherein thecommunication network comprises one or more of a cable infrastructure, asatellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL)infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure,a wired infrastructure, and/or a wireless infrastructure.
 19. The one ormore circuits of claim 16 wherein the communication network is theInternet.
 20. The one or more circuits of claim 16 wherein consumptioncomprises one or more of playing audio, displaying a still image,displaying video, and/or displaying data.
 21. The one or more circuitsof claim 16 further comprising: a media peripheral at the second home;and the user at the first home having control of at least one functionof the media peripheral at the second home.
 22. The one or more circuitsof claim 21 wherein the media peripheral comprises one or more of astereo system, a digital still camera, a digital video camera, a digitalcamcorder, a digital audio recorder, a personal computer, a PDA, aliquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, and/or a CRT display.23. The one or more circuits of claim 16 further comprising: a serverfor storing 3^(rd) party media; and the server software supportingdelivery of the 3^(rd) party media to at least one of the first andsecond display devices.
 24. A system supporting common consumption ofmedia, the system comprising: at least one processor communicativelycoupled to deliver the media from a first storage at a first home to asecond display device supporting display of television content at asecond home that is separate and distinct from the first home, the atleast one processor operable to, at least: cause display of a userinterface on a first display device supporting display of televisioncontent at the first home, the user interface having at least one viewcomprising a representation of media available for consumption, the userinterface supporting the selection and scheduling of media for deliverto the second display device at the second home; and communicate withsoftware that coordinates delivery via a communication network of themedia from the first storage to the second display device for concurrentconsumption of the media at the first display device at the first homeand the second display device at the second home, under control of auser at the first home.
 25. The system of claim 24 wherein the mediacomprises one or more of audio, still pictures, video, real-time video,and/or data.
 26. The system of claim 24 wherein the communicationnetwork comprises one or more of a cable infrastructure, a satellitenetwork infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure,an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wiredinfrastructure, and/or a wireless infrastructure.
 27. The system ofclaim 24 wherein the communication network is the Internet.
 28. Thesystem of claim 24 wherein consumption comprises one or more of playingaudio, displaying a still image, displaying video, and/or displayingdata.
 29. The system of claim 24 wherein a media peripheral is locatedat the second home; and the user at the first home having control of atleast one function of the media peripheral at the second home.
 30. Thesystem of claim 29 wherein the media peripheral comprises one or more ofa stereo system, a digital still camera, a digital video camera, adigital camcorder, a digital audio recorder, a personal computer, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a liquid crystal display (LCD), aplasma display, and/or a cathode ray tube (CRT) display.
 31. The systemof claim 24 wherein the software supports delivery of third party mediato one or both of the first and second display devices.